The Common Sense Book of Baby and Child Care - Reaction

Reaction

Within a year of being published, The Common Sense Book of Baby and Child Care had already sold 750,000 copies, mostly by word-of-mouth advertising. Mothers appreciated that Spock was not condescending in his writing and instead very empathetic towards mothers, acknowledging how tiresome child care can be. Although he believed that much of a child’s personality and behavior rested in the parents’ hands, he did not scare parents with this large responsibility of raising a "good" child, like earlier child care experts had. He was lauded for writing with a friendly, reassuring tone and using conversational, easy-to-read language.

Spock was popularized by mentions in household magazines and famous T.V. shows, such as I Love Lucy, where the characters Lucy and Ricky Ricardo were seen consulting Spock’s manual in various episodes when seeking advice for raising their child. Spock quickly became a household name in the 1950s and is frequently credited for helping to raise a generation of “Spock babies” in the post-war period. Mothers heavily relied on his advice; by 1956, The Common Sense Book of Baby and Child Care was already selling a million copies each year.

By the mid-1960s, however, book sales quickly slowed due to Spock’s tarnished reputation after his publicized involvement in protests of the Vietnam War. Skepticism of his work increased, especially among colleagues, who criticized Spock for not being a serious academic researcher and relying too heavily on anecdotal evidence in his book.

By the late 1960s, Spock faced widespread criticism for condoning an overly permissive parenting style. Many commentators blamed Spock for helping to create the counterculture of the 1960s. Critics believed the current youth were rebellious and defiant in part because they had been brought up by Baby and Child Care. Spock, however, continued to defend himself, saying he had always believed in firm leadership by parents.

In the 1970s, with the rise of the women’s liberation movement, feminists began to publicly criticize Spock for the sexist philosophy apparent in his book. Spock was thus forced to confront his own ideas about gender roles and gender stereotyping.

Near the end of his life, Spock’s changing ideas on nutrition were reflected in the seventh edition of his book, where he advocated a vegan diet. Spock’s views, however, were criticized by some experts as being too extreme; critics were concerned that a vegan diet could likely result in nutritional deficiencies for children unless carefully planned.